Chapter 14
Unexpected Friend
"Oh, Lucy, I keep forgetting to mention." She said, turning her attention to the blond.
"Huh?"
"Awhile ago, I tried to offer you self-defense lessons, but got distracted before I got the chance."
"Does that mean you won't be using your kinky whip anymore?" Happy asked Lucy, causing the blond to glare at him.
"It's not kinky!"
"You should take her up on the offer, Lucy. That way you won't have to rely on your spirits all the time." Gray suggested, Natsu nodding.
"Or me. How many times have I had to save your butt?" Natsu asked, joining the conversation. He was munching on his food, as were most of them, staring at the blond between bites.
"Hey, I've had to save yours, too! You guys make me out to be super weak!" She yelled, annoyed at everyone ganging up on her.
"I don't think you're weak, Lucy, and didn't mean to imply it." Kasai told her. "Gray does have a point, though. If you're in a situation where you can't summon your spirits, or you've run out of a magic, you should have a back up plan."
"I guess…. But that seems like so much work…" She complained, causing the red head to chuckle.
"I never realized it until just now, but you remind me of my friend Sarah." She said, causing everyone to look at her confused. "Now that I think about it, you two are a lot alike."
"Whose Sarah? Another half-naked friend of yours?" Natsu asked, earning a smack on the back of the head.
"She's a childhood friend. She was a celestial wizard, just like Lucy, and learned magic to protect her friends and family… but never really had a knack for it…." Kasai spoke, suddenly lost in her thoughts. "I wonder what she's doing now…"
"You had a Lucy growing up?" Natsu asked, suddenly interested.
"Kind of. She was the only other girl learning magic at the Buddhist Temple, but I suspect she was more motivated to hang out with her boyfriend than learn magic."
"Your Lucy had a boyfriend?" Happy asked, snickering at Lucy.
"Shut up, cat!"
1.
The party celebrating Lisanna's return was supposed to be just one day, but they were all so happy at her return that they extended it to last several days.
"So you're Natsu's girlfriend?" The wizard asked, causing Kasai to grin.
"Yeah." She replied. "I heard that you were at some point, too."
"Not exactly… but we were close." She replied, a blush spreading across Lisanna's cheeks. The pair stood facing each other, somewhat awkwardly, holding drinks in their hands and out of the way of the fighting.
"I don't have to worry about competing with you, do I?" The red head asked jokingly, causing the woman to blush even more. "I'm kidding, Lisanna. Don't worry so much."
"Okay…"
"So do you use transformation magic like your siblings?"
"Yeah, it's a family trait."
"I always thought transformation magic was fascinating, and was disappointed when I learned that you had to be born with it. There's so many cool spells you can do with it."
"Yeah, it's definitely powerful. I can't imagine myself using any other kind of magic. I also can't wait to use it with my siblings again." She admitted, and then noticed someone staring at them from near the entrance of the Guild Hall. "Is she a new wizard too?" She asked, causing Kasai to turn to where she was looking.
Her eyes widened, grin spread across her face. "No, she's not." She started running towards the woman, dodging people that were in the middle of fighting and got in her way, and when she reached the brunette, extended her arms wide to pull her into a hug. "Sarah!" She cheered, happy to see the familiar face, and wrapped her arms around her.
Kasai pulled her close into a hug, and then pulled away slightly to get a good look at her face.
Sarah.
She had dark skin, so smooth that it resembled chocolate, and dark brown eyes that could melt the heart of any man. She had black hair, darker than the night sky, which cascaded down her back and curled in every direction. Her slim body was draped in tribal garments that Kasai had never seen before, mostly consisting of black, brown, yellow, and green.
"I missed you so much," The red-head said, looking into those dark eyes and resting their foreheads together.
"100 days." She replied, and Kasai felt a stabbing pain in her gut along with a magic spell being cast on her head. Her dark slim hand had made its way to the back of her skull, and before she knew what was happening, found herself transported to a new place.
They were no longer in the Guild Hall.
They were both standing there, staring into each other's eyes, with a knife lodged into Kasai's stomach. "You were never any good at telepathy magic. I cast a spell so that only moments will pass in real time, but we have 100 days for me to torture you to death. To make you understand the pain that you've caused me."
"What… what happened to you?"
The woman slowly pulled the knife out of her, and took a step back, out of her reach.
The red head stood, ignoring the pain and just looking at her friend. "You're my friend, Sarah."
"This is my domain." She said, and suddenly their surroundings changed drastically, along with Kasai's wrists and ankles suddenly being bound together behind her. Sarah kicked her friend to the floor and ground her shoe into the side of her face. "Thanks to you, my life has been a living hell. Your friends won't be able to save you, little wench; just like you weren't there to save me."
They were in the Temple, on the grounds outside of the mess hall, where sparring usually took place.
"After you left, Kiken started using blood magic on our friends to start fights. He used your notes to do it." She explained, and they could see a young version of the wizard in question casting spells. Their surroundings felt so real, Kasai could smell the gardens nearby and see every detail of her old friends.
Their surroundings suddenly changed.
Swords were clashing.
Magic was in the air.
Kasai could see a younger Sarah and David, fighting in front of them. Kiken was looming in the shadows.
"Because of you," Sarah spoke, louder than anything and booming in Kasai's head. "I had to watch the love of my life die."
Kiken used blood magic to pierce through his skull like a bullet.
"He's going to pay for what he's done." Kasai said, despite the foot digging into her face and creating cut marks. "To take something so amazing and use to do something like this… it's disgusting."
"Shut up and watch!" She yelled, casting a spell that caused several blades to descend upon Kasai's frozen body. "Whatever happens to you in this realm also happens to your body in the real world!"
Kasai was silent, accepting the pain she felt and trying to take deep breaths.
"Do you have any idea what he did to my celestial spirits?"
2.
Several days had passed in this other world.
In Sarah's pain and anguish, she basically showed Kiken's entire plan and operation, along with all the gory details. The sins he caused. The horrible pain he inflicted. The experimentations, disregard for human life.
"I'm surprised that you're still alive. Whenever I use this spell on people, they usually only last a single day." She spoke, now standing a few yards from her and looking at her handy work. "Your magic is worthless here. You can't heal yourself. You're going to die by my hand."
"Sorry… to disappoint you." Kasai said, slowly moving, and rolling onto her knees and trying to sit up. "But… I…" She choked out, shaking horribly. "Have people… to protect."
Sarah stood, completely shocked, as Natsu and Lucy appeared out of nowhere and began helping her stand. Her wrists were still bound, but her feet had become free at some point. "That can't be… this is my realm! They can't be here!" She yelled, thoroughly freaked.
"I want you to be… one of those people… that I protect." Kasai finished speaking, leaning on Natsu for support. "Because… my friends are my weakness… but they're also my strength."
"They're not actually here… but… it doesn't matter, I'll just kill you right here and now!" She screamed, lunging forward with her original blade. Natsu caught her wrist before it could do any damage, and held it there.
The spell broke.
It was Kasai's hand holding her wrist.
Almost no time had passed, but the injuries that Sarah inflicted were there.
The rest of the Guild was still partying, but Lisanna had been watching the two, and saw what was happening.
"Kasai!" She screamed, running towards her. Lisanna may not have known the red head for very long, but she was a member of Fairy Tale, and she had to help her somehow. "What are you doing to her!"
Natsu stopped fighting to look at what was happening, hearing the tone in Lisanna's voice, and his eyes widened at the sight of the bloody blade hovering over his girlfriend's head.
"You're my friend, Sarah. I… I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."
"How are you still alive!? What they hell are you?!" She yelled, trying to get out of the tightening grip on her arm. "Let go of me!" She screamed, watching the woman be engulfed by flames.
"That monster will pay for what he's done to you."
"What the hell is going on!?" Natsu yelled, trying to make sense of the situation. "What the hell did you do to Kasai!?"
The Guild Master and Gildarts, across the room, noticed the strange disturbance and went to investigate.
"Everything is your fault, you monster!" She screamed at her, trying to get out of her grip.
Kasai was focused so much on trying to stay standing, she forgot that she was holding the other woman in place.
"What's the meaning of this? What have you done to my child?" The Guild Master asked, angry when he saw the obvious pain his Fairy Tale Wizard was experiencing. All of Fairy Tale was watching the scene unfold, confused by the sudden change in mood from happy to angry. It had happened so fast, they didn't know what to make of the situation.
"I've been using a torture spell, so although only seconds passed here, I've been carving her up for days. I've shown her what her actions have caused…. she should be dead!" She answered, still struggling and finally dropping the blade.
"It's not… a torture spell." Kasai corrected, finally looking up at her. "It's a meditation and teaching spell…."
"But you're supposed to suck at this kind of magic! How the hell did you break free!?"
"Because…" Kasai said, her voice cracking. "I'm a genius." She said, smirking, but still shaking. "That spell… was meant to help people. And you helped me learn some very… valuable… intel."
Sarah's eyes widened. "No… you-
"You're my friend. Please… let me help you."
"How dare you hurt a member of Fairy Tale!" Natsu yelled, his own fire emerging, and causing the black-haired woman to look up at her surroundings in fear.
"None of you are to lay a hand on her!" Kasai yelled, but then her grip loosened, and she fell to one knee. The wizard jumped back, away from the bloody mess, and suddenly worried about the other wizards attacking her.
This had never happened.
Usually, she was in and out so quick, they didn't know what happened.
But now the entire Guild had been forced to stop partying early, liquor still on their breaths, and their sights were on her bloody hands.
"What the hell does that mean? She just beat the hell out of you with one spell!" Natsu yelled at the fallen woman.
"If it helps her move on… to be happy… she can do whatever the hell she wants to me."
"Oh come on, are you serious!?"
"She sounds a lot like Erza…" Lucy commented.
"These wounds will heal… but… the past can't be changed." She said, struggling to stay conscious. Her magic was too weak to cast a descent healing spell.
Gajeel picked up Sarah by the back of her shirt, lifting her up like a small child. "This little wimp caused you to fall like that? How pathetic."
"Get away from her!"
"What? She looks wimpy to me,"
"She may look weak but she knows deadly magic you'd have no chance against!" Kasai yelled, running forward just as the woman in question began casting a spell. The fire woman sent a fireball at her, causing her to cancel her spell and Gajeel to toss her to the side.
"Your friends really are your weakness. You can barely stand because you let an old friend get so close." Sarah said, and cast a spell that Kasai recognized.
"Stop it, you're casting the spell wrong you idiot!" She yelled, and tried to run at her, but fell instead.
"Teleportation magic!"
"No!"
And then she was gone.
Her body fluttered away into dust, spinning and twirling out the door and into the sunny sky. "Blood magic… circulation." Kasai whispered, causing everyone to look in amazement and confusion as all of her blood on the floor rose. It circled her like a whirlwind, slowly reentering her body, and within seconds her injuries were practically healed. Adding a basic healing spell, she only had a few bruises to worry about.
"What the hell was that!? I'm so confused right now!?" Natsu yelled, voicing the thoughts of most of the Guild members.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, and disrupting the party. You all should get back to it." She said, this time easily getting back to her feet. Her smile seemed genuine, and her words sincere. "Lisanna is back, and that calls for celebration."
"Eh? Seriously?" Gray asked, but then got punched in the gut by Natsu.
"If she says she's alright, then let's get back to the party! Woohoo!" The pink-haired man yelled, starting up the fighting again and getting most of the rambunctious males back into the violence.
She had so much to process, she didn't know what to feel.
It felt so surreal to be back in Fairy Tale. She'd been gone for days, and yet… she wasn't.
"The Master wasn't kidding when he said you were strong." Guildarts said, the two of them walking up to her. Most of the girls, not caring to fight, stood on the guidelines and tried to eavesdrop on their conversation. "I'm surprised you'd stoop so low to date Natsu."
She didn't say anything.
"It was pretty impressive that you broke a spell like that… that was my second time seeing it in action, and the first time they didn't survive it. I think it was the same woman, too." Guildarts continued.
Her eyes were glued to the spot her friend had just vanished from.
She just stood there, still. It unnerved the rest of them.
Silent.
Staring.
"Are you okay?" Makarov asked, wondering if the spell had a side effect she hadn't mentioned yet, or if she was just shooken up.
"She cast the spell wrong." She muttered, causing the two wizards to give her a quizzical stare.
"What do you mean?" The Master asked, concerned by the lack of emotion on the woman's face.
"The teleportation spell… she did it wrong. We just watched her die."
Their eyes widened, looking at the same spot she was looking at, remembering the woman that was standing there just moments ago.
"Did you learn anything when you were under the meditation spell?" Guildarts asked, watching her carefully.
"Everything. She told me everything." She said, and then finally looked down at the Guild Master. "Why are people so evil and impatient with magic?" She asked him, the memories of her friends past replaying in her head. "How can wizards do such horrible things?" Her voice was soft, on the verge of breaking, tears welling up in her eyes.
He didn't have an answer for her.
"I use my magic to protect myself and my friends. I take the time to study it, to learn it, and be patient with it. But… Kiken…" Her fists clenched, and she was suddenly filled with so much rage that she kicked a nearby table into the wall, causing it to break and splinter with a loud bang. The woman's body was on fire, magic emanating from her so strong that the surrounding wizards could feel it.
"Oooh, fire." Natsu said, randomly running up to her and hugging her from behind. One of his arms hooked from around her waist and connected to the other on her shoulder. He ate some of her fire that she was giving off. "Someone is fired up." He said, slurping up the excess flames.
"Natsu, this isn't the time to be joking around." Guildarts said, surprised at how oblivious the boy was to seriousness of the situation. The other wizards who had been listening in on the conversation had similar reactions.
"Why not? It's a party!" He said, laughing.
"Can't you tell that your girlfriend is upset?" Guildarts asked, causing the pyro to pause and look at Kasai.
"She is? Then why is she smiling?" He asked, poking at the woman's cheek. They all looked at her curiously, still able to see the tears in her eyes. "Were you crying?"
"I'll be okay… so long as Natsu's got my back." She said, looking to the Dragonslayer with renewed strength. "When I take down Kiken, you're gonna back me up, right?"
Natsu, not sure why she was bringing him up, nonetheless nodded. "Of course!"
Guildarts suddenly understood why the skilled wizard liked Natsu. The hot head might be an idiot, but in an instant, he managed to make her smile when she was doubting the integrity of humanity.